19 Jul 201806:22am IST

19 Jul 201806:22am IST

Report byTeam Herald

PANJIM: Even as the State government imposed a ban on the import of fish trying to eliminate the ongoing controversy surrounding formalin in fish 24 hours before commencement of the monsoon session of the State Legislative Assembly, the opposition Congress has decided to rock the House on the issue, which is concerned with the health of people.

Demanding a judicial inquiry in the entire fish formalin episode, Congress MLAs will also corner the government on the issue of draft Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Regulation 2018, which is been debated across State.

The BJP-led coalition government’s decision to put in operation the Regional Plan 2021, formation of multiple outline development plans (ODPs) and its failure to work out a solution to the mining crisis that has hit lakhs of people, are issues the opposition is set to raise as it takes on the government.

The 12-day monsoon session of the State Legislative Assembly will begin on Thursday. The session will conclude on August 3.

“Though the government has banned import of fish, we will demand for a judicial inquiry into the conduct of Food and Drug Administration (FDA), whose double talks on the formalin led to confusion and fear. We will raise the issue,” Leader of the Opposition Chandrakant Kavlekar said.

Congress MLAs may attempt to move an adjournment motion on the fish issue, after question-hour on Thursday. Kavlekar, however, refused to comment on this.

Kavlekar said that issues like CRZ, mining, Regional Plan, need to be thoroughly debated and solutions has to be worked out. “We will corner the government on every failed promise,” he said.

After a curtailed Budget session in February due to Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar’s sudden illness, the opposition was expecting the monsoon session to be longer and had even proposed increasing the number of sittings to 18 days, however, the Speaker restricted it to 12 days while increasing the hours it will meet each day.

In the absence of Power Minister Pandurang Madkaikar, who is undergoing treatment in a Mumbai hospital, the Chief Minister will reply to his departments which also include Social Welfare.

The CM will spell out policies, schemes and other programmes under various departments, which he failed to do while tabling the Budget 2018-19 due to his illness. A five-month Vote of Account was passed while tabling the Budget.